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I have an HP Z6 Workstation with a Xeon Gold 6253CL CPU (purchased from eBay) and I would like to upgrade it to a dual-CPU configuration. I have added the 2nd CPU riser card but, for selecting the processor I need help understanding Intel's part numbers and features, in particular the "C" suffix.

The Xeon Gold 6253CL CPU seems to be a confidential model available only to some manufacturers and not to the public and therefore the specs are unavailable at the Intel website [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000056073/processors/intel-xeon-processors.html]

I have tried adding a 2nd socket with another 6253CL CPU and, for the most part the computer seems to work however sometimes it fails to boot and/or crashes

Per the information about suffixes provided by Intel [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000059657/processors/intel-xeon-processors.html] the C suffix seems to indicate a single-socket CPU (although this is uncertain, as officially these suffixes apply to 3rd generation Scalable Xeon CPUs and the 6253CL is 2nd-generation)

I am hoping someone can shed more light on the actual meaning of this C suffix and, if it is intended to describe "single-socket", what functionality is missing when compared to another CPU that supports e.g., dual-socket (my observation has been that it works fine most of the time, is it e.g., missing some synchronization capability that depending on workload may not needed be needed for extended periods of time time? is it something that would work in dual-socket only for specific bios settings but not others?)

A possible replacement that I'm also looking into is Xeon Platinum 8251C CPUs but that also is a 2nd-generation "C" processor and I am concerned it will have similar stability issues in dual-socket configurations.

For reference and before someone starts recommending completely different machines - my primary goal for this workstation is using it for media processing, mostly Avid Pro Tools and some Davinci Resolve. The Z6 is one of Avid's officially supported hardware platforms. Furthermore the configuration officially supported by Avid requires Turbo to be turned off in the BIOS, that's why I am looking at CPUs with high Base Frequency. I'm also using this machine for gaming from time to time (Ark and various PCVR games) but this is a lower-priority goal, as long as the games run "well enough" it's fine, the machine does not have to be optimized for competitive gaming.

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I am also have a Z6 G4 with a single 6253CL fitted in it.

Just a comment: Platinum 8251C is a 240W TDP CPU, so it is not compatible in Z6 G4 or Z8 G4.

(E.g: Platinum 8272CL is only a 200W TDP CPU but it is also not compatible with these workstations as it needs much higher current spikes....)

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  • Wow, I wish I read this a few weeks ago! I could have just saved myself the trouble and bought the SuperMicro Motherboard for $400…. I bought an HP Z6 G4 for $230 turnkey with a 4180 CPU and a single 8GB DIMM. I bought a 8160 ES for $80 and found out I can’t use it with the Z6 G4. The 8160 ES just give me a memory error. I bought an 8272CL and it came in the mail today. Computer won’t boot with it at all and doesn’t even give errors. I also own an Intel S2600W series board and the 8272CL should work in that. Actually either should work in it. I was thinking in running (2) 8160…
    – GivMeDew
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 0:14
  • Sorry to hear that. I had a few ES and QS sample CPUs and all of them worked in the Z6 G4, so probably your 8160 ES has some other issues. Also i know workstations (Supermicro and Lenovo P920), where the VRM ICs reprogrammed and after they accept all these cheap high-TDP CPUs, like the 8251C and 8272CL....
    – Tomato
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 15:17
  • Thank you. I've been trying to find more info on how much TDP/current is supported in the Z6 G4 but I couldn't find it (e.g., would this machine support dual 6250 well?). Do you have some link to specs and/or some guidelines that you can share?
    – Eusebio Rufian-Zilbermann
    Commented Nov 17, 2023 at 18:10
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    @EusebioRufian-Zilbermann Xeon Gold 6250 is a 185W TDP retail CPU, not manufactured for OEM, like the 6253CL, so every workstation/motherboard which supports 205W TDP should work with them. Official HP documents only mentions max. TDP is 205W. Latest documents not mention 6250. (On the other hand, Dell 7820/7920 manual mentioned 6250 as a standard available CPU. So it should work with HP, too!) Also, HP Z6 G4 supports dual 205W TDP CPUs, so there is a little restirction in the very high TDP GPU cards in this case.... Hope it helps.
    – Tomato
    Commented Nov 18, 2023 at 20:06

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